Sword Summit
by MrFoshizzlePro
Summary: In the heat of an argument, Kenshin takes his leave of Hiko's home, vowing to end the peoples suffering once and for all. Set during the Bakumatsu, covering parts mentioned in the manga and parts left completely out, leading to 10 years after the chaos.
1. Farewells

**Sword Summit**

by: MrFoshizzlePro

_**Author's Note: **__Hello my friends ^-^ I am still working on 'Generation A Smile', but I just had a nagging urge to write this little story up :) I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :) _

Disclaimer: Nobuhiro Watsuki owns all rights to Rurouni Kenshin. I own nothing, nor do I claim anything except my fanfiction ^^;

_Prologue_

_Farewells_

The infuriated auburn haired teen trudged through the thick forest, ignoring the commands of his superior that gradually went quieter the farther away he walked. His hands grip around the katanas hilt tightened until his knuckles turned a pale white. He growled.

_So many people are suffering, _thought Kenshin angrily._ And all shishou does is idly stand aside and watch it happen! _

Kenshin thrashed away an overhanging tree branch and moved on.

_Shishou says I'm thick headed... I'll show him how wrong he really is!_

Meanwhile, a tall muscled man stood on the rocky ledge of the mountain glaring off into the forest where his deshi had run off to. His cloak blew briskly in the wind. Only the rhythmatic drum of the waterfall could be heard now. Hiko had long since ceased calling his hot-headed apprentice to return.

Hiko snorted, annoyed. _Let him believe what he wants, _he told himself, whisking his cape out of his way and following Kenshin's path back to the house. _He'll get the sense knocked back into him later. _

Later on, however, the heat from the earlier argument rose back up at the table during dinner.

Kenshin was eating his meal silently while keeping his gaze dodged away from his shishou sitting across from him at the table. Hiko copied his pupil's actions, maintaining his focus on his food rather than making eye contact with the red head. They sat, heads bent low, in bitter solitude.

Kenshin shifted his elbow over the tabletop, hitting it against a sake jug and causing it to crash to the floor in a spray of broken pieces. Hiko slammed his fists down hard. The objects lying across the table's surface rattled by the contact. Kenshin bolted to his feet immediatly, his eyes glaring flecks of amber as they locked with his master's.

Hiko boomed, "Baka, watch where you place your elbows!"

"Me?!" Kenshin fired back. "How about _you _watch who you're yelling at!"

"I'm the master here and I can yell at you as much as I damn well please!"

Kenshin's teeth clenched with rage. Hiko sat back and picked up his cup of sake. "Clean up the mess," he ordered. "And afterwards, you can chop some more firewood to stoke the fire. We're running low fast so I suggest you pick up the pace!"

Huffing, the young deshi stomped away to fetch the broom. Kenshin's anger was beginning to slowly boil in his veins. He could feel it rising inside him once again, and he invited it in as it came. Kenshin reappeared moments later and started the task of clearing the jagged bits of pottery scattered about.

Hiko observed the boys swift and heated strides over the brim of his cup. He thought, _The baka still doesn't get it. The power of Hiten Mitsurugi can only aid one side or the next; either way, the side a swordsman chooses will affect him in more ways than one. _

"He can be mad at me all he wants-" Hiko added aloud in a murmur. He took a sip of the alcohol and set it down with a soft _clk! _and rested his chin overtop his clasped fists. "-but holding a childish grudge against me won't solve anything."

"Well then, what _will _solve anything shishou?"

Hiko twisted his head around. His attention settled upon Kenshin. He was frowning, eyes narrowed and broom clenched in hand. Kenshin waited for an answer to escape his master's lips.

Kenshin turned away. "Thought not," he muttered. "You preach all you want about the teachings and disciplines of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, yet when it comes to your apprentice seeking guidance from his only master, you choose to stay silent." He began to leave to deposit the broken pottery outside, but the sound of his master's voice broke through the quiet at long last and he halted in mid-step to listen.

Hiko said, "So long as you are my apprentice, you'll learn in time why we don't go helping people here and there. Major consequences will rise from a man's every action no matter what their action may be. The ideals that you believe in will be put to the test, and at that point, you tell _me_ whether or not I gave you fair warning of what your future will become."

The absence of sound met by Kenshin's master's statement was almost deafening. Hiko sighed inaudibly, but Kenshin remained unmoved where he stood, silent and transfixed in thought. The broom clattered loudly to the floor. Kenshin bowed his head low, his red bangs hiding away all sight of his quivering eyes.

"Then I guess I'm not your apprentice anymore..." whispered Kenshin.

"What?"

"You heard me!" He turned on his heels abruptly, prepared to face his master with all the anger and irritation that had been bottled inside himself all afternoon. "I'm done dealing with everything you put me through! You expect me to watch these people live and die through this age and not do anything to stop it, but I won't!"

"I'll use Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to save these people once and for all. With this sword and your teachings, I guarantee that I will end all agony surrounding the Bakumatsu of terror and bloodshed to bring about a new age filled with peace!"

"You're out of your mind if you think you can go about doing this so selfishly!"

"I don't care. I'm leaving tonight and that's that." Kenshin strode out the door and into the pitch black of the night. "Sayonara, shishou," he called. "The next time you see me, I'll prove to be a better swordsman than you could ever be and I will show you that _you're_ the one who's wrong!"

Hiko pushed aside the screen and watched his apprentice go without hesitation. "That's fine!" he called back. "Go and use your own selfishness to help others. If you think I'll be there to save you this time, you're dead wrong!"

_One day shishou, _Kenshin thought with a small smile. _One day, this baka deshi will prove you wrong. _

_He'll get himself killed out there. _Hiko sat back at the table and took a swig of sake from his last jug. _And even if Kenshin manages to survive through all that... he will surely live through the pits of Hell itself for all the sins he will cause._

_- _Tsuzuku _-_

Japanese Terms Used and Their Meanings:

Shishou - Master, teacher, etc. It is similar in meaning to sensei, but is a term used by Kenshin to address his master.

deshi - A term used by Hiko meaning _apprentice._

baka - means _foolish _or _idiot; stupid._

sake - a japanese alcoholic drink.

Bakumatsu - A period in Japan that is one of the most unsteady and romanticized part of Japanese history. It is the age of the last samurai and of intense fighting between _ishin shishi _who were supporters of the emperor from Satsuma and Choshu, and those who were supporters of the shogunate known as the _Shinsengumi._


	2. The Kiheitai

**Sword Summit**

by: MrFoshizzlePro

_Chapter 1_

_The Kihei-tai_

Dawn was slowly approaching across the land. By now, Kenshin had almost made it completely out of the mountains. He decided to stop and rest for a bit by a streambed halfway on his trip. The slinking silver-scaled bodies of fish swam in the water, but Kenshin did not have an appetite for fish that morning. He picked up a pebble and deliberately smacked it into the stream.

_Sploosh!_

A spew of water sprayed him in the face. Grumbling with annoyance, Kenshin took his sleeve across his wet face to dry it. "Stupid stream," he muttered, getting to his feet and distancing himself from the streambed to sit on a flat stone nearby. He seated himself upon its flat surface with a sigh. His feet had grown tired of traveling through the night and all enthusiasm, once fueling his system to the brim, soon had subsided faster than he had hoped.

_I wonder how far I am from town now, _Kenshin thought. He took off his sandals and worked his fingers in rubbing the soles of his sore feet. _I'm probably not too far now. It usually doesn't take long to get to town with shishou- _He stopped himself in mid-thought.

Kenshin was still mad at his master, yet this crude man occupied his mind for almost the entire trip. "I have to learn to forget him," he told himself firmly. "It's for the best." Still, he couldn't help but feel a little twinge of guilt for what he had said the previous night. Hiko could have done something to stop him from leaving. Nevertheless, much to the young pupil's surprise, he had done nothing but wish him farewell and go back into his hut.

Kenshin's feet felt somewhat better after he was done working with them. He made up his mind to stay off his feet until sometime before the evening. For now, he comforted his weary body with the idea of rest. He laid back on the stone, staring into the big blue sky overhead. In a matter of heartbeats, sleep had overtaken the teen as soundlessly as a breath.

...

_"Baka deshi!"_

_"H-hai!" _

_Immediately, Kenshin sat upright on the ground as fast as a startled jack rabbit. His red head twisted this way and that, looking out for his shishou's tall muscled figure through the thickness of the fog. He listened, sending out his ken ki in search for a presence. Strangely, there was no one out there except for his own anxious soul. He waited and waited for Hiko to speak again, but not a sound could be heard._

_Kenshin's heart throbbed violently against his chest. His throat constricted from the mix of emotions threatening to consume his very being. Where was his shishou? _

_"Shishou?" he whispered. No response resonated from within the fog. He tried again, the fear sounding in his call. "Shishou, are you here?" An agonizing silence came as a substitute for the missing voice. _

_Kenshin felt alone and lost just as he had after cholera and famine had stolen away the lives of his family. He was frightened by the sudden thickening of the mist. The more he sat around doing nothing, the heavier the fog seemed to be getting. _

_He sat helplessly in the suffocating atmosphere trying to make up his mind on what to do. Should he try wandering through the fog in the hopes of finding his way out, or wait for his shishou who may never come? Kenshin wanted to rip the hair completely out of his skull, desperate for seeking an answer. _

_'What do I do?!' The lingering question echoed through his mind. 'What should I _do?!_'_

_"If you think I'll be there to save you this time, you're dead wrong!" Hiko yelled from some place far off in the distance. Overwhelming fear and chargin blared through Kenshin's soul. _

_"Please shishou!" he cried, distressed. "Please don't leave me alone to die!"_

_"I'm tired of wasting my time training a deshi who'll never learn to listen to his shishou." Hiko's tone was ice cold. "You're on your own from here on out, Kenshin. You made that decision all on your own. You no longer require your shishou's aid."_

_"Sayonara... Kenshin."_

_"SHISHOOOOOOOOU!"_

"AH!" Kenshin's eyes snapped open and he shot straight up like a bullet, panting with cold sweat beading on his skin. He ran his fingers through his bangs. It had all been a nightmare... just a terrible nightmare.

_But it felt so real... _

He raised his head and looked to the sky. The sun was high overhead. It appeared the remainder of the day would be steady going, but dark gray clouds were rolling in, proving otherwise. "Great." Kenshin got to his feet, dusting strayed leaves and dirt from his clothes. "A storm is just the thing I need right now." Just as the forest was thinning out the further he moved along, a grumbling sound rumbled from his stomach.

Blinking, he glanced down and placed a hand over his belly. Soon enough, the vibrations of the growl were sensed through his palm. He realized that he was hungry. The night's travels must have done it. Kenshin settled that he would have to get food while in town. It would surely take its toll on his body soon if he didn't eat, so he quickened his steps and made it to a familiar hut on the road in no time at all.

An old man, a little withered with age but hardly fragile, stepped out the doorway of the hut holding a jug of sake. He laid his eyes on the boy and smiled kindly, knowing the short auburn haired teen without having to think. "Konbanwa, Kenshin-chan," Osamu greeted upon Kenshin's nearing.

Kenshin managed a smile in return. "Konbanwa." He halted before the man and turned his face up.

Osamu's gaze softened. "My, you've grown much since Hiko-sama took you in. It seems as if it were only yesterday that you were just a little boy." Listening to him caused Kenshin's smile to falter.

_Shishou..._

"Hai..." He trailed off. Osamu cocked his head to the side, arching a thin gray brow. He was confused by the boy's change in behavior so suddenly. He was afraid he might have said something to offend Kenshin in a way. "Something the matter?" the old man inquired.

_The nightmare I had today_— _It has to mean something, but what? _Kenshin had zoned out of the conversation, stolen away into the recesses of his own troubled thoughts. For a while, Osamu stared at Kenshin, worry clouding his slitting brown eyes. _I hope the kid is alright,_ thought Osamu. _It's unusual not to see Hiko-sama with him. Maybe he's punishing the boy. Or possibly_—

"If I may ask of you, Kenshin-chan?"

"Huh?" Kenshin met Osamu's gaze in a flash.

Osamu held out the jug to him. He asked, "Have you been sent here on Hiko-sama's behalf?" Kenshin inwardly bit back a reply. What would be the point in lying now? Chances were probable that shishou would mention his leaving sooner or later to Osamu. The old man was a friend of his shishou's and a friend of his own. And yet—

"Hai." Kenshin dipped his head, the horrid lie stinging his tongue. "Shishou is busy, so he told me to come alone."

"I see." _He's lying. _The lie was plain to see, practically written in Kenshin's big blue eyes. Osamu mentioned nothing of it, however. "Well, it's best not to keep him waiting for your return. Take this sake to Hiko-sama and tell him hello for me. I know it's probably quite a heavy load for you to carry as it is, but you wouldn't mind if I gave you some food to keep you energized, would you?"

A glimmering spark went off in the young teen's eyes. The old man took it as an answer, heading inside and returning moments later with a dumpling and rice ball in hand. "Here you are," he said, handing them off. He turned to go back in, but Kenshin's voice stopped him momentarily.

Kenshin beamed brightly. "Arigato Osamu-san!" he thanked cheerfully.

Osamu found himself smiling a bit. "No problem," he responded kindly. "Run along now. You don't want to keep Hiko-sama waiting, do you?"

The teen's footsteps thudded across the road, fading away into the distance. The old man exhaled a sigh and shook his balding head. "Poor kid, I'd hate to hear what him and Hiko-sama must be fighting about now."

...

Thundering rain pounded against the shingled rooftops of the many markets and inns lined along the road. Mud puddles were taking form rapidly. Kenshin watched from beneath the shelter of an inn's sloped roof, protected from the elements and kept safe and dry during the passing storm.

He slumped down to his rear, pressing his back to the wall, the sake jug and dumpling sitting to his left while he munched away at the riceball held in his hand. The rice provided pleasure for his empty stomach, and he felt forever grateful to Osamu for giving him the food.

"It makes me wonder if he even knows that I've left Hiko-sensei for good. He never offers me food around shishou. I wonder what has gotten into him?"

Kenshin did not dwell on the topic for too long because his attention was quickly diverted to an area sending off strong waves of ki. The ki came from more than one person, though. It was odd to sense a crowd as large as this, especially on a cold and rainy afternoon. His meddling mind and curiosity got the best of him.

"Might as well check it out," muttered Kenshin as he slipped his katana back into his sash. "This could be a chance to show off my sword skills to anyone who underestimates me."

Taking the dumpling but abandoning the jug, the young swordsman traveled towards where the ki originated from. He pulled his foot free from mud that sank up to his ankle every once in a while, but otherwise he faced barely any kind of obstacle on his way there. A variety of voices came to his ears. Kenshin knew he was getting close.

_Now's my chance!_

The ground evenly became easier to walk across and Kenshin slowed his pace down, placing a hand over his hilt. Men of all shapes and sizes huddled around in a clearing below. They had the same emotion shared in their keen eyes: certainty.

Apparently, whatever these men gathered here for must be important to withstand a storm and endure future illness as consequence for their ignorant choice. Kenshin blended in easily with the crowd, undetected by anyone standing around him.

_Good. _He smirked. _I can see what's going on without getting myself caught. _

Kenshin edged his way behind a lanky young man and peered around his back to observe the men in action. One man made his way into the circle of the crowd, a man of rough appearance scoring a straggly beard and narrowed black eyes. In his hand was clenched firmly a katana. He swung his wielding arm above his head swiftly. Then, letting out a battle-like cry, he brought down the weapon upon a thick post sticking from the dirt with brute force.

The post was split in two. The group applauded the man's accomplishment. Kenshin gaped in amazement. _He was able to split the post apart! _A nagging urge arose within him. He wanted to perform his skills as well, to prove Hiten Mitsurugi was better than what these men presented as _style. _

_It wouldn't hurt to try, _Kenshin contemplated.

"Next!"

Another man was pushing his way to the post fast, but Kenshin was faster. He beat him to the next post in a single millisecond. The man scowled at the teen's cockiness, but Kenshin paid him no mind. All his concentration was directed toward the post a few feet in front of him.

Snickers and whispers ascended from the men surrounding him. A voice commented, "There ain't no way that kid will do it." Another responded in a mocking tone, "He's only a boy!" and another whispered loudly, "He looks as fragile as a woman!"

Extreme anger flared in Kenshin's amber eyes. He unsheathed his katana with a _click! _and slashed it through the post's side. Not a mark was apparent on the wood. The man he had beaten to the post grinned, stroking his chin with his bulky fingers. "Heh, I knew he couldn't do it—!"

Unexpectedly, a loud crash connected with the ground that caused heads to twist and turn to lay eyes on the scene. Kenshin was frozen in his stance, breathing heavily. The top half of the post laid in the dirt. The other half stood unscathed but shortened.

"What the hell?!"

"He did it! The kid _actually_ did it!"

"That was amazing!"

The men were unsure whether to applaud the young red head or to talk amongst themselves of what they had witnessed. However, a man standing off from them had seen everything. He was clearly astonished by this boy. He commanded his comrade standing alongside him,"Send the boy."

"Hm?"

His expression became gravely serious. He faced his partner sternly. "He'll work for us!"

At last, his ally left Katura's side and stood before the boy. "Hey kid?"

Kenshin snapped out of his trance-like state instantly. "Who are you?" he asked, swiveling around to face who the new voice belonged to. He noticed the man smiling down on him. His nerves slightly twinged with nervousness, but he didn't understand why.

The newcomer gave no introduction. All he said was, "Come with me. We'll have a chat over tea." He turned his back to Kenshin and walked off. Kenshin was hesitant to follow. Nevertheless, after standing and looking after the man for a while, he decided to go, but at a safe distance just a few feet behind.

Over hearing the boy's feet thumping behind, the man smirked at his success.

_- _Tsuzuku _-_

Japanese Terms Used and Their Meanings: 

-chan - Honorific used for friends or relatives.

-sama - Honorific meaning Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc. Very high respect.

Arigato - Thank you.

-san - Honorific used for a person being spoken to is of equal or nearly equal social status. (Mr., Ms., Mrs., etc.)

katana - a Japanese long, single-edged sword.

Hai - Yes.


	3. A Choice To Kill

**Sword Summit**

by: MrFoshizzlePro

_**Author's Note: **__I thank you very much my friends for leaving such wonderful reviews to my humble little story ^-^ I greatly appreciated reading each and every one, indeed I did. This chapter is a tad bit short (it was originally longer, but I decided to write the other half into Chapter 3 ^^;) Nevertheless, I hope you will enjoy :) _

Disclaimer: Nobuhiro Watsuki owns all rights to Rurouni Kenshin. I own nothing, nor do I claim anything except my fanfiction ^^;

_Chapter 2_

_A Choice To Kill_

Kenshin seated himself across from a friendly-looking man known as Kogoro Katsura. The other man who had accompanied Katsura leaned against the wall between them. He had learned this man's name was Takasugi Shinsaku. A young woman servant had come in to serve them tea. She appeared to be nice and had a kind of grace in her brisk movements.

Once she had taken leave, Katsura had his eyes fully focused upon the young swordsman sitting before him. Then, he spoke, "What is your name?"

"Kenshin."

"And how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

_Fourteen... _Katsura had to admit the teen's looks were very deceiving. Nonetheless, he set this fact aside and carried on the conversation. "So that was Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. I have heard of it, but I never thought it truly existed..."

Though Kenshin was appalled by this, he did a good job at concealing it to himself as he listened on.

"But let me ask you one thing: have you ever killed with Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu?"

Katsura studied the boy's facial expression to see if any hint of change could be found taking form. The red haired child reached for his tea cup, raising it to his lips, his eyes averted to stare at the floor. "No," he simply replied. His interest in this boy grew more and more. Katsura dared to question him further. "But... do you think you could?"

Finally, a flit of emotion etched across his face. _Good. He's showing a reaction... _

Kenshin considered Katsura's words thoughtfully. _The real question is, _would_ I be able to? _Sure, he'd killed animals with his own weapon in the forest now and again, but to even think of taking a human life after all of Hiko's teachings had taught him—

_Clk. _He sat the cup down. His eyes turned to look directly at Katsura, showing his seriousness against the matter of which they discussed. Kenshin said, "If you mean by taking my own dirty blade and the lives I take, I could pave the way for a new era in which many could live in peace, then..." He trailed off.

"Hm." Katsura bent his head down. Kenshin was confused whether Katsura's sudden silence signaled the confersation must have come to an end. Even so, the teen got to his feet and bowed deeply to show his respects.

"Arigatou Katsura-san, Shinsaku-san." He stood upright once more. "I'll be leaving now if that is all you needed from me—"

"We're leaving for Kyoto first thing in the morning." Kenshin was startled a little when Katsura spoke up from his quietness but the feeling soon faded as he listened. "Take a room upstairs and rest."

Kenshin's voice numbed in his throat. All he could manage to do was dip his head and thank them again for their kindness. He slid the shoji door to a shut and headed for the staircase. His mind was restless with thousands of questions throughout the night. Though it was the first time in over a day he had laid on a futon, even the bed's comforting warmth wasn't enough to vanquish the thoughts running loose in his head.

Eventually, he had all he could take of the mental torture. Settling into a sitting position, Kenshin raised his gaze to the ceiling and frowned, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. _What's keeping me from sleeping now? Is it still because of shishou? Or is it because of that nightmare? _

He shook himself briskly. _I have to sleep. _Clutching the covers in hand, he draped them over his body and he forced himself to lie back down.

_I can't stay awake forever, _Kenshin was thinking as he tightened his eyes shut. _If nightmares come to haunt me, let them. I refuse to let it weaken me. _

Sleep came over Kenshin without him even realizing it. And as he slept, a whistling breeze rattled loudly against the exterior wall of his bedroom.

Japanese Terms Used and Their Meanings:

Kyoto - A city located in central Japan, on the island of Honshu.

shoji - Japanese sliding door.

futon - A Japanese quilted mattress that is rolled out across the floor and used as a bed.


End file.
